The Sirens Song
by Shoshanna33
Summary: Mulder and Scully are summoned to Maine to see about some mysterious drownings. MSR. Set at some point after Fight the Future.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing I just use the characters to my amusement. Don't sue because I have nothing of value anyway.

This story is set after "Fight the Future". After that it spins off into my own universe. MSR for sure. The way it should have been.

Prologue:

Somewhere off the coast of Maine

He could hear her singing in the fever of the night. It was a high pitched song that filled his head and consumed him with lust and need. He needed to get to her. He needed to find her. Everything he ever wanted was waiting right out there for him, if he'd only heed the call. Before he knew it, he was in the water. It was cold and the waves crashed against his body as he waded out, desperate to follow the sound of the music. Desperate to have all his dreams fulfilled. It was like being in a trance. A sweet, beautiful trance. Without even thinking about it, he was swimming. The rough waves pounding over his head as he swam and swam. He was so close now. The singing got louder. And then he saw her. A beautiful red haired goddess sitting on the banks of a small rocky island. She was nude and had her arms outstretched towards him, beckoning him to come closer. So he swam harder, ignoring the chill in his body from the water because he felt hot on the inside at the sight of her. She was his everything. As he approached the island her arms reached down towards him. He was mumbling something about not believing his luck and how beautiful she was. She placed a finger to his cold lips and shushed him. He felt her hands on his shoulders in what he thought was an effort to help him up. But in reality she had grabbed him and was pushing him down under the water. The sounds of her singing got louder and louder in his ears as the water rushed over his face. He was drowning and he didn't even care. He could still see her long red hair shining in the moonlight through the murky water. He struggled for breath but she pushed him down harder with a supernatural strength that belied her petite figure. The song started fading in his ears and soon everything grew dark. His lifeless body sunk down beneath the surface of the water and the music stopped. The red head smiled to herself and leapt into the water hurriedly and swam away.

Washington DC

Mulder sat behind his cramped desk shuffling paperwork around when Scully entered the room. He jumped up and smiled as he greeted her.

"Morning Scully. Don't you look lovely today," he grinned at her.

She sighed. "Thank you." Then she eyed him suspiciously. "Why are you buttering me up, Mulder?"

"No reason. Can't a man simply make a compliment without it meaning I'm buttering you up?"

"I know you too well though. What kind of crazy caper do you have planned for us now?" she asked as she plopped herself down in a chair across from him.

"I'm glad you asked," he smiled. "I think I have a really good X-file here and I'm sure you're going to agree once you hear what I have to say."

"Okay, what is it?"

"Off the coast of Maine they found a drowned man yesterday," he began to explain.

"A drowning? That hardly sounds like a case for us," she protested.

"Would you let me finish? You never let me get to the good parts before you interrupt me," he scolded her.

Scully sighed and held up her hand. "Sorry. I'll be quiet. Keep going."

"Where was I? Oh yeah, drowned man. But see, he's the 6th drowning victim in two months. The bodies always wash up in the same spots and the victims are all men. And in all the cases the men seem to have just stopped whatever they were doing and walked into the ocean. They even left their TV's on and one of them had a full dinner sitting on the table when he just vanished into the water."

"Could be suicide," she offered.

"Six suicides in two months in the same tiny little town?"

"It could happen."

"Yeah but none of these men had any history of depression. In fact they all couldn't be more different. The only thing they had in common was they were all single and living alone."

"And don't you think that might make them more depressed than the average individual?" she wondered.

"Well we're both single and live alone and we haven't thrown ourselves into the ocean yet," he smirked at her.

"Point taken," she relented. "But maybe it's all just accidental. Sometimes that water seems calm to swim in and then it gets really rough. They might have just gotten in over their heads."

"What would possess six men to go swimming, all in the same spot mind you, in the middle of winter in Maine? It's not exactly Tahiti where you'd take a quick dip in the ocean after dinner."

"Alright, you do make a good point. No one would likely be going swimming at this time of year. But what do you think it is that's causing this?" she asked him curiously.

"I think it might be a Siren."

"A Siren? You mean like a mermaid?" she asked incredulously.

"Yeah, exactly like that. The mythology of a Siren is varied on what she actually is, or whether or not they're mermaids or something else. But it fits. They lure unsuspecting men into their clutches with a song. Then they kill them. It's usually just sailors, but what if they were working closer to shore? These men could have been called by the song and met their untimely deaths."

"Lured to their deaths with a song? Sounds a bit crazy to me."

"Of course it's crazy. That's why it's an X-file."

"When do we leave?" she asked with a sigh.

"Right now. We can make it to Maine before nightfall."

They rode in the car silently. Scully wasn't sold on the whole Siren/mermaid idea. But when Mulder had something set in his mind, it was best to just follow along and see what happened. It's not like he's never been right before. In fact, he'd been right more times than she'd care to admit. But each and every time she couldn't help but think his ideas were far fetched and implausible. It's just her nature to question everything, even when she herself had seen some seriously unexplainable things. Sometimes she found herself thinking she was just as crazy as Mulder was to believe in the things she'd seen. But what else could she do? She had to face the cold hard fact that sometimes there was no logical scientific explanation for things. But she'd be hard pressed to let go of her science without a fight.

"Whatcha thinking about, Scully?" Mulder asked to break the silence that had settled over them on the long car ride.

"I was just thinking how I wasn't sure I was buying this whole Siren idea thing."

"Well I'm not saying that's what it is for sure yet. But it's an idea. I can't think of anything else that would cause those men to jump into the ocean like that," he told her.

"But what would be the purpose? I don't understand how she lures them. With a song? How can a song make someone do something crazy like that?"

"It's hypnotic, Scully. It's more than a song. It's like a burning need inside these men and the song pulls them towards the source. They used to say that sailors were so lonely on their long journeys that just the thought of a woman out there was enough to make them do anything to find her," he explained.

"So it's about horny old sailors desperate for some female company?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It's not just about being horny. It's about being lonely. And a Siren song promises you that you'll have everything you ever wanted and won't ever be lonely again."

Scully rubbed her temples and leaned back in her seat. "I'm just not sure I get how it works."

Mulder looked over at her for a moment. "Haven't you ever been lonely before?" he wondered.

She let out a deep breath and faced him. "Of course I have. Sometimes."

"And what if something came along and assured you that you'd never have to feel that way again? Wouldn't you be compelled to follow it?" he asked her curiously.

She thought about what he was saying. She knew only too well what it was like to feel lonely. She never liked to admit it, but her loneliness at times ran so deep she felt like she was drowning in it. But she also knew that she was never really alone. She had Mulder. He always seemed to be there when she needed someone. With him by her side she was never alone. But it was all so complicated that sometimes even when she was with him, she still felt the loneliness creep up. They were so close, yet so far apart sometimes. There were things she wanted from him that she wasn't sure she could ever have. And living with that knowledge wasn't always easy.

"I suppose it would be tempting to follow something that promised you'd never be lonely and always have what you wanted. But I think I'm strong enough to know it's got to be a trap," she explained.

He shook his head. "I don't think anyone is strong enough to realize it's a trap when the Siren sings. It's like being in a trance. Besides why would it always have to be a trap? Maybe there is such a thing as never being lonely and having everything you wanted?" he said with a shrug.

"I don't know if I believe there is such a thing in the real world," she told him with a far away look on her face.

"Sure there is. Sometimes you just have to open your eyes and see it and not be afraid of it," he said as he looked at her seriously.

She glanced over at him and their eyes locked. Volumes of unspoken words went between them when they looked at each other this way. It was almost too much to bear and Mulder looked away first to keep his eyes on the road. He meant what he said though. Sometimes everything you needed was right in front of you and you were just too afraid to see it. But he wasn't afraid. He hadn't been afraid for a long time. He knew that Scully was his entire world and he was pretty damn sure she knew it too. He'd be nothing without her and had told her almost as much not too long ago. In fact he'd finally been ready to kiss her and just get it all out in the open for once and for all but that stupid bee ruined the moment. They'd never spoken of it again, but it never left Mulder's mind. And he was pretty sure that every once in awhile it crossed her mind too because she was definitely not going to stop the kiss. He could tell that from the way she responded to him. But for some reason, he just hadn't tried again. There was never a right moment. But that didn't mean there never would be. And then everything he wanted would be right in front of him. So he believed that it was possible to have that. He didn't however believe that a Siren could offer that. That was a trick. But the concept of the happy ending is exactly what led those men to their deaths. At least in theory. He wasn't sure yet what they were dealing with. It was all just conjecture and his imagination at this point.

She finally spoke. "I don't think I'd be afraid of it really if I had everything right in front of me. It's just that sometimes things aren't so cut and dried or easy. Just because you find something doesn't mean life becomes perfect."

"No it doesn't become perfect. There is no such thing as that. But I think with the right person by your side it _feels_ perfect sometimes," he explained to her.

She looked over at him and he glanced back at her. They just looked at each other for a moment and then Mulder smiled.

"Someday maybe you'll believe," he told her.

She smiled back at him. "Yeah, maybe someday."

The rest of the trip was made in relative silence. They were both lost in their own thoughts. But when they finally reached their destination they were both more than glad to get out and stretch their legs. It had been a long drive and they'd only stopped once along the way. They were eager to get checked into their motel. As always, they had two rooms right next to each other and they both grabbed their bags and headed in. It wasn't long before Mulder was knocking on the door and ready to get down to business.

"I spoke to the sheriff in town and she said we could come down any time and she'd fill us in. They still have the body of the latest victim so maybe you could take a look at that and see what you come up with there," he told her.

They got back into the car and drove the short distance to the police station. In a town like this you could probably cross the entire thing in five minutes. It was not a big city by any means which made the deaths seem even more suspicious to Mulder. When they got to the station they went inside and a pretty woman with long red hair pulled back into a braid greeted them.

"You must be Agent Mulder. We spoke on the phone. I'm Sheriff Dunbar."

She held her hand out to him. He shook it and then motioned towards Scully.

"This is my partner Agent Scully."

The two women shook hands and Scully sized her up. She was not at all like any sheriff she had ever seen. She looked more like a model in a police uniform.

"So why don't you tell us what's been happening here, Sheriff Dunbar?" Mulder asked. "You said on the phone that there have been six drownings?"

She nodded her head. "Yes, six. This latest one came as the biggest shock. I knew Patrick Harrison personally. I just have no idea why he would have been out in the water in this cold weather."

"Have there been any signs of foul play in any of the cases?"

"No. We've just been chalking them up to accidents. It was pretty hard to tell what happened because the bodies were pretty beat up by the rocks," the sheriff explained.

Mulder shook his head. "This many accidents seems like a lot, don't you think?"

"Well yeah, it does. But we didn't know what else to think."

"Can we see the latest body?" Scully interjected.

The sheriff nodded. "Of course. I'll show you back to the morgue area."

They went down a corridor and into a back room. Inside lay the body of Patrick Harrison covered by a sheet. Scully went over and pulled it back. Immediately she saw bruising and small cuts and scrapes all over the body. But it was impossible to tell without a thorough examination whether these marks were made pre or post mortem.

"Scully why don't you work your magic here and I'll go with the sheriff to discuss the cases more thoroughly," Mulder told her as he indicated the body on the table.

"Sure. I'll work my magic. But I'm not sure if I'll be able to tell you anything other than the obvious. He drowned. Nothing I find is going to tell you _why_ he went in the water."

"Just do your best and see if you find any signs of foul play."

Mulder turned around and left the room with the sheriff and Scully watched them walk away. Something inside her felt a pang of jealousy seeing them together. Why couldn't the sheriff be ugly? Scully knew it was irrational but she hated it when other women paid attention to Mulder. Especially if they looked like supermodel police women. Here she was stuck with a rotting corpse and god only knew what they were going to do. Have coffee and donuts and get cozy over the case files? She shook the thoughts out of her brain.

"Don't be stupid," she muttered under her breath. "Just do your job, Dana."

And that she did. She got her gear on and went to work examining the body.

Mulder and Sheriff Dunbar sat together in her office going through the files.

"None of these men had any history of depression or any reason to take their own lives?" Mulder asked her.

She shook her head. "Not as far as I know. They were all decent normal guys. No one in their families seemed to think they'd try to kill themselves."

Mulder nodded. "They all washed up around the same area too. Where exactly is that?"

"They were all found in Breakers Cove. Two of them were found by fishermen and the other four washed up on shore."

"I'm gonna want to see this place. Is it far?"

"No, we can go right now if you want," she told him.

He agreed and they went outside to get in her squad car. They drove down to the beach area and she pulled up alongside a pier that went out into the ocean where fishermen often docked their boats. The sun was gone now so it was dark and damp and cold outside. Mulder wished he'd brought a better jacket with him, he thought to himself as they walked down towards the shoreline.

"So this is the place, huh?" he asked her.

"This is it. The latest victim washed up right over there on those rocks." She pointed to a spot to the right of the pier.

Mulder looked around and noticed a small island just past the pier. There was a lighthouse to the left of it on another smaller outlet of land.

"Is there anything on that island?" he asked curiously.

"No, it's just a piece of land. You can't really get to it by boat because it's too rocky," she told him.

"But someone might try to swim there," he said gazing off into the distance.

"I can't imagine why anyone would want to swim there. There's nothing there."

Mulder turned to face her. "Have you ever heard of a Siren before?" he asked.

"A Siren?" she laughed. "Oh sure, the legends of the fishermen run deep out here. But that's all it is. Just a legend."

"Maybe. Maybe not. Stranger things have been known to happen," he smiled at her.

"Well I remember my grandfather telling stories of the Siren's song and how sailors were deceived into thinking they'd found a beautiful woman when in reality she was just a killer. But I never really believed the stories were true," she told him pointedly.

"Legends usually have some basis in facts, it's just in the retelling of those facts the stories get a little fantastical."

"Well I'd believe most anything right about now because I have no other explanation for why these men died," she admitted with a small sigh.

"Let's get out of here. It's too dark to see much of anything right now. Plus it's freezing out here," Mulder said with a shiver.

"Exactly. Which is why it makes no sense anyone would go swimming out here."

"Agreed. Now let's get back to the station and see if Scully figured anything out with the body."

Scully was finishing up her work when Mulder and the sheriff walked into the room. She looked up at them and noticed they were laughing quietly and standing just a little too close for Scully's comfort. She cleared her throat.

"Where did you guys go off to?" she asked inquisitively.

"We went to the beach. Liz wanted to show me where the bodies washed up," Mulder told her.

"Liz?" Scully raised her eyebrow.

"Oh yeah, I told Fox he could call me Liz. We're not too formal around these parts," the sheriff smiled at her.

_Fox? Liz? Nice to see them so familiar with each other_, Scully thought to herself bitterly.

"So did you find anything with the body?" Mulder asked.

Scully bit back her jealousy and nodded her head. "I found signs of handprints on the shoulders indicating this man was held under the water. The bruising was different than all the rest of the post mortem damage."

"Held under the water? My god…" Liz rushed over to see for herself. "So you're saying someone killed Patrick and that it wasn't an accident?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying," Scully told her. "Without seeing the other bodies I can't tell you if it's the same thing. But this man was indeed murdered."

"I don't even know what to say. We've never had a murder before since I've been sheriff."

"Well count this as your first. Or possibly sixth. I can't say for certain."

"A serial killer?" Liz asked curiously.

"Looks like," Scully nodded.

"Fox, do you think this fits with your idea about the Siren?" Liz asked him.

"Well it certainly makes me wonder."

"I thought Sirens crept on boats and killed sleeping sailors. I don't think they drown them," Liz told him.

"There are several theories actually. Some say that, some also say they pull them ashore and eat them. Another part of the mythology is drowning. All the myths say one thing for certain though. They're deadly. So it fits."

"Wait a minute, you actually told her about the Siren and she believes it?" Scully asked confusedly.

"She didn't think it was entirely crazy, like some people I know," Mulder smirked at her.

"I told Fox I'd believe just about anything at this point. All I know is we need to get to the bottom of it before any more men die."

"We'll definitely take care of this, Liz. Don't worry," Mulder told her assuredly.

Scully just stood there staring at both of them. She was uneasy with the friendliness between the two of them and the way Mulder was portraying himself as some kind of hero to save the day. The truth was they were no closer to solving this than when they first arrived. Maybe Mulder's crazy idea was true, but where was the proof? And how would they ever get it? She still felt like they were looking for a serial killer, most likely another man. And definitely not some Siren or whatever the two of them conjured up together. She had no idea who would drown these men, but she did not believe it was some killer mermaid, that's for sure.

"Look, it's late. I'm going back to the motel. We can discuss this in the morning," Scully told them both.

She just wanted to get into her pajamas and sleep this night away.

"Scully's right. There's nothing we can do now. But tomorrow I wanna check out the area where they all washed up more thoroughly," Mulder said.

"Okay. Goodnight Fox. It was a pleasure to meet you," Liz said as she extended her hand to him again.

"Likewise," he smiled at her.

"Yeah, huge pleasure. Now let's get back to the motel," Scully said more harshly than she intended.

Mulder looked at her with an amused and astonished expression.

"Scully get's cranky when she's tired," he explained. "We better get back, but we'll see you in the morning."

"See you then," Liz smiled.

"I can't wait," Scully said with the fakest smile ever.

Once they got into the car Mulder laughed slightly as he looked over at Scully.

"What's funny?" Scully asked.

"You. I do believe you're jealous Ms. Scully."

"Jealous? Are you crazy? I just think it's inappropriate to be on a first name basis with the sheriff," she scoffed.

"Why? She insisted. What else was I supposed to do?"

"Insist back that Sheriff Dunbar was more appropriate. I mean, you never call me Dana. It's weird."

"I never call you Dana because you never call me Fox."

"Right. And that's how it's supposed to be because we're partners not friends," she insisted.

Mulder looked at her with a hurt expression. "We're not friends?"

Scully looked back over at him and sighed. "We're friends. I just meant that we keep it professional. The way it's meant to be."

"Yeah, well sometimes it doesn't always have to be so professional, _Dana_."

"Yes it does, _Fox_," she shot back.

They both stared at each other and realized how awkward it felt using their given names. It just wasn't in them. He was Mulder and she was Scully and that was that.

"Fine, I won't call her Liz anymore if it breaks some huge moral code you have," he relented.

"I don't care what you call her," she said picking lint off her shirt.

"Well obviously you do."

"This whole thing is just stupid. Just take us back to the motel."

"Alright," Mulder said as he put the car into drive. "But just so you know, there's only one red head to capture my attention and it isn't Sheriff Dunbar," he said softly.

Scully sat there silently for a moment, taking his words in. "That's good to know, Agent Mulder."

"Yeah, it is, Agent Scully."

They both just sat there in silence until Mulder finally decided to drive away. Scully had no idea why she was so jealous. And she had no idea why Mulder was putting her at ease that way. But it worked. She liked hearing that from him. She wanted to know that she was the only one. But she could never just come right out and say that. And she didn't think he was ready to tell her that either, but she was wrong. He did tell her. In fact, he'd told her a lot recently. She was important to him. Much more than just a partner. Much more than just his Agent Scully. She was something else. And she knew it. Which made her jealousy all the more stupid. But she couldn't help it. He belonged to her. It was never said, but it was understood, she felt. Just as she belonged to him. After all, he had declared to her that he didn't think he could even move on in his work without her. Plus he was going to kiss her. And she was going to let him. She was dying to let him. But the stupid bee ruined all of that. She didn't know why he never tried again. Maybe he changed his mind? She didn't know. And the fact that she didn't know made her more jealous of this other woman. She was very territorial. And no one was going to encroach on HER Mulder. That much she knew with all her heart. He belonged to her and no one else. And maybe someday that would be more well known than just her fevered fantasies. She could only hope.

To be continued...


	2. Chapter 2

Mulder knocked on Scully's motel room door and hoped she would be in a better mood today than she was yesterday. Long car trips and dead bodies must not agree with her. Along with sheriffs who aren't frumpy enough to her liking. She answered the door after a moment.

"Morning Scully," he told her with a smile. "I brought us bagels," he said holding up a bag.

"Good I'm starved. I didn't get dinner last night," she told him, greedily taking the bag.

They went into her room and sat down at the table and opened up the bagels.

"So what do we have planned for today," Scully asked taking a big bite of her bagel.

"I was thinking that we'd rent a boat. There's an island out there that I'm interested in getting a closer look at."

She looked up at him with a raised eyebrow.

"A boat? Mulder, the last time we rented a boat we sank it."

"True, but this will be different. We'll be more careful," he told her. "I'd kind of like to take the boat out at night too and see what might lurk once the sun goes down."

"I don't know what you're really expecting to find. A mermaid perched on the rocks?"

"Maybe? I mean, something or someone is out there killing men and I think it has to do with that island," he explained.

"What makes you think that?" she wondered.

"Just a hunch. But first I wanted to do some research on the town to see if anything like this has happened here before, so I was gonna hit up the town library."

"What do you want me to do while you're doing that?" she asked eating more of her bagel.

"I was thinking you could go back to the station and check out the medical reports on the other victims and see if there was anything they might have missed. See if they reported any strange bruising like what you saw."

Great, she had to go back to the station and see Sheriff Miss America again, she thought to herself.

"Alright, I'll see what I can dig up," she told him. At least if he was at the library and she was at the station Mulder wouldn't be spending any more time with Liz the wonder sheriff.

They finished up their food and got ready to leave. Mulder was going to drop Scully off at the station while he headed for the library and they'd meet back up later. Scully wasn't looking forward to seeing the sheriff again and it wasn't just jealousy this time. She just didn't like her. She had no logical reason for feeling that way about her, but call it women's intuition. Something was off with her and Scully didn't like it. She was too nice and sweet. It was annoying. But she'd put away her feelings for the sake of the case and hope that Liz would just leave her alone with the files and not try to make small talk. Once they were there, she got out of the car and headed in.

"Good morning Agent Scully. It's nice to see you again," the sheriff greeted her.

"I'm here to check out the medical files on the other five victims."

"Oh. Sure. Let me get them for you."

As she went to her file cabinet and began rooting through it she glanced over her shoulder at Scully. "So where is Fox this morning?"

"Agent Mulder is at the library," she said, refusing to call him Fox so maybe the sheriff would take a hint that it wasn't appropriate to be so familiar with him.

"What's he hoping to find there?"

"I'm not sure. A history of the town and whether or not there've been any other unexplained drownings, I guess."

"I've never heard of that and I've lived here all my life. He could have just asked me," she said with a smile.

"With all due respect, I think he just wants to make a thorough search and since you're not the town historian I don't think he can go off just your word."

The sheriff just looked at her and smiled. Scully was pretty sure it was a fake smile, much like the one she was giving her as well.

"Well, I hope he finds something useful. I was hoping to see him again today."

"Why is that?" Scully asked curiously.

"Oh I don't know. I like him. He's a passionate man. And he has some interesting ideas about this case. Plus he's a little dreamy and not bad to look at."

The sheriff knew she was pushing Scully's buttons and that made it all the more fun for her. She could tell Scully didn't like her.

"He's _dreamy_? What are you, 12?" Scully scoffed.

The sheriff laughed.

"I'm just saying he's got a certain charm. Surely you've noticed. You two have worked together awhile, I assume."

"We've worked together for six years. And yes, he's got charm. But this is business. I'm surprised you'd be so unprofessional," Scully informed her.

"As I said to Fox last night, we're not too formal around these parts. And I was just making an observation." She tossed the case files onto the desk and looked at Scully. "Here are the other victims. But I don't think you'll find anything of use here."

Scully grabbed up the files. "I'll be the judge of that," she muttered. "Is there someplace private I can go to look these over?"

"There's an interrogation room down the hall. God know it's collecting dust. Nothing bad ever happens here."

"Well something bad is happening now," Scully informed her.

"Yes, and I do hope we figure it out."

Scully nodded and took the case files in her hands. She trudged down the hallway and found the empty interrogation room. She sat down at the table and began combing through the ME reports. She was shocked to find out how incomplete they were. It was as if the ME just glanced at the body and said, 'yep he drowned' and instantly marked it as accidental. It didn't appear any actual examining occurred at all. All the bodies had contusions and scrapes on them, but it didn't appear to delve any deeper than that. She got up from the table and went to find the sheriff again. She found her sipping coffee at her desk while looking out the window. Scully cleared her throat to announce her presence.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" the sheriff asked pleasantly as she noticed Scully in the room.

"No, I didn't actually. Were any of these bodies actually examined? I'd like to talk to your ME."

"He's not here right now."

"Well can you get him here? I have a lot of questions for him."

"I'll give him a call."

Scully waited as she made the call and listened in on what was being said.

"Hi Jonathon, it's Liz. Things are going well. Yeah. Listen I have someone here who wants to talk to you about the drowning victims. She's from the FBI. No I don't know what she wants to ask you. I know. I know you made the reports. She already looked at them. Okay. Can you just come down here? Alrighty. Thanks Jonathon."

The sheriff looked up at Scully.

"He'll be here in a jiff. He just lives down the street."

"Just send him to the interrogation room when he gets here, okay?"

"No problem," the sheriff smiled at her.

Scully walked away and shook her head. Something was not right here. And those fake smiles were getting on her nerves. She was ready for this case to be over.

After a short while a man came into the room where Scully sat absently looking at the photos in the files. He introduced himself.

"Hi, I'm Jonathon. The medical examiner. I hear you wanted to speak to me."

He extended his hand out for her to shake it, which she did.

"Agent Scully. I just had some questions about your reports on these bodies. It seems you ruled all of these deaths accidental, but I can see from some of the pictures there are indications of handprints near the shoulder areas on several of the victims. Didn't you notice that?"

Jonathon scratched his head and glanced at the photos.

"Well we just attributed the bruising to post mortem marks where the bodies were pulled out of the water."

"But you can see a clear bruising that was definitely not made post mortem. You can tell."

"That's not how I saw it," he told her. "Besides Liz said they were all terrible accidents so I just figured there was nothing much to find on the bodies. They all drowned tragically. Case closed."

"Sir, with all due respect, it's not 'case closed'. These men were held under the water. It wasn't an accident."

"Ah, I don't know about that. That's not what my findings were."

"Well your findings are grossly negligent. Just because _Liz_ tells you it was an accident, you didn't feel the need to delve deeper?"

"No ma'am. I didn't. And if it's all the same to you, I stand by my findings."

"Well I stand by mine too. I think these men were intentionally drowned," Scully told him.

"Who would do something like that?" Jonathon wondered.

"That's what my partner and I are here to find out."

Sometimes she hated dealing with small town law enforcement agencies. They didn't always do a thorough job. Either because they didn't have the resources or because they just weren't as skilled as they were in the bigger cities. Places that never saw crime often didn't even know what they were looking for when it was right in front of them. Plus it hadn't gone unnoticed by her that the sheriff had her hand in this too. She just concluded they were accidents and the ME followed her lead. Why would she do that? Did she really think it was impossible there was any other explanation? It was suspicious to her and gave her just one more reason not to like the woman.

"Well I do hope you find what you're looking for, but I think accidents just happen," Jonathon told her.

"Yeah they do. Just not this many. But thank you for your time and coming down here to talk to me," Scully told him. She'd gotten all the information she needed.

"No problem. Have a good day Agent Scully."

He left the room and she sat back down in the chair. It was all so obvious to her that these were no accidents, but she still didn't have a suspect in mind. Mulder's crazy idea still didn't sit well with her. She felt like they were at a dead end, especially without the cooperation of the local authorities. She pulled out her phone and dialed a number.

"Hello?"

"Hey Mulder, it's me. Did you find anything out at the library?"

"Yeah I did as a matter of fact. Seems like this isn't the first time this has happened. I think you're going to find this quite interesting. Did you find out anything with the medical reports?" he asked her.

"Yeah, but no one here seems to believe me. I talked to the original ME and he still thinks it's all just a big accident. But I saw bruising in the photos that matched the victim I examined. I think all the men were drowned intentionally," she explained.

"I'm pretty sure you're right. I knew as much before we even got here. But the ME didn't believe you?"

"He stands by his findings. But it seems _Liz_ is the one who urged him to think they were accidents. He didn't really look very hard."

Mulder chuckled a little. "You say her name with such distaste."

"Well I feel pretty distasteful against her. I'm not sure she's the best sheriff. She's just seeing what she wants to see so she doesn't have to deal with a serial killer in her town, under her watch."

"I just think she's not used to crimes like this. She's naive. Just cut her a little break," Mulder said with a sigh.

"You're defending her?"

"No I'm not defending her. I just think that this is way above her head. In fact, it may be above all our heads because we still have no idea why those men went into the water in order to be drowned. That's what I want to find out," he told her seriously. "Have you asked about a boat yet?"

"No I haven't done anything except look at these files and annoy Police Barbie and the ME."

"I'm pretty much done here so I'll come pick you up. We'll go get that boat so I can check out the island," he informed her.

"Hurry."

"I'm on my way."

She hung up the phone and sighed to herself. She couldn't wait for Mulder to get back. Not just because she was tired of the police station but because she always felt better with him around. They didn't always agree either, but at least she knew he was in her corner this time. Plus she was curious to hear what he found out at the library.

He arrived finally and he was greeted by the sheriff.

"There you are, Fox. I was hoping to see you again today," she told him with a grin.

"Here I am. In the flesh. Is Scully around?"

"She's down the hall in the interrogation room. I don't think she likes me very much."

"Aw, I'm sure that's not true. Scully is just very intense in her work, that's all," he made excuses for her to save face.

"Well she _intensely_ questioned my medical examiner and made him feel inadequate and about three feet tall."

"She just has a difference of opinion about what happened," he told her. "Why were you so sure they were accidents?"

The sheriff looked at him a moment and then shrugged. "I just couldn't fathom it being anything else. Especially the first few times. After that I did begin to wonder a little, but the medical examiner assured me the cases were all the same. Accidents. You have to understand that we just don't have murders here so my mind never went there."

"It's not entirely true that you don't have murders here. I found out some interesting things at the library."

Just then Scully walked into the room, having heard Mulder's voice from down the hall.

"Mulder, you're here. Are you ready to go see about the boat?" she asked him hopefully.

"A boat? You guys are getting a boat?" the sheriff asked.

"Yeah, we wanna check out that island. I'd like to take it out at night too just so we can see what might be out there in the dark when no one can see."

"I have a boat. I'll take you guys out there myself if you'd like," the sheriff offered.

"That would be perfect," Mulder told her with a nod.

Scully sighed softly. More time spent with the sheriff. That woman was on her last nerve and she didn't even have a good reason why, and she knew it. She just couldn't help herself.

"Great, let me just get a few things in order," she said with a smile. "So what did you find at the library that was so interesting? You were about to tell me."

"Yeah, I'm kind of curious about that myself," Scully told him.

"Well it seems as if thirty years ago, the same thing happened. Seven drownings, all single men. The police back then ruled the cases 'suspicious accidents' but they never did find out any information or suspects. Then it just stopped and they figured it was just something in the air I guess because the cases were all closed and never looked at again," he explained to them.

"That is interesting," Scully agreed.

"Yeah it is," the sheriff agreed.

"I thought you said there had never been anything like this before and Agent Mulder should have just asked you," Scully looked at the sheriff pointedly.

"That was before my time, I'm afraid. I never heard about it though. I was just a baby then," she said defensively.

"I think there was a lot done to hush up these drownings. They didn't want to cause panic in the town. I'm not surprised you'd never heard about it," Mulder told her.

"Do you think the number seven is significant? Are we waiting on one more victim before this whole thing stops? Or do you think it's just a random number?" Scully asked him curiously.

"I think the number is significant because I also found out that the same thing happened in another town just up the coast from here. That was eleven years ago. Seven drownings, all men, this time ruled suicides by the police. And then it just stopped."

"So we have one more victim to go. Only problem is, we don't know who it is, when it'll happen or who is doing this," Scully sighed.

"I need to get on that boat. In the other town all the bodies were found near another rocky island. I feel like the deaths are occurring there. They ruled those deaths suicides because all the men were found on the rocks of the island as if they'd jumped to their deaths."

"That makes it different than our case. There's no evidence of jumpers here," the sheriff interjected.

"Tides are different and they're carrying the bodies to shore. That doesn't mean they didn't originate at the island," Mulder explained. "Plus if this is what I think it is, the Sirens wait on the rocks. That's where they set up camp and wait for their next victims."

"Let's get on the boat then," Scully said with resolve.

She was ready to go along with the theory somewhat, though she doubted they'd be lucky enough to find a Siren just sitting there waiting to be found. If such a thing existed she was pretty sure they'd be hidden very well.

They drove down to the pier and followed the police car. Mulder was anxiously tapping his fingers on the steering wheel as he drove and Scully looked out the window.

"You know, Sheriff Dunbar is being really helpful. I don't think she had a clue before what she was dealing with," Mulder told Scully.

"I still don't like her."

"Why not? She's very nice and pleasant, even if a little naive."

"Why do you care if I like her or not?"

"I don't. I was just pointing out that you could take that moody scowl off your face at any time and it'd be great," he teased her.

"I do not have a moody scowl," she protested. "It's more of a pouty annoyed face."

"Well as cute as that face is, you should just relax Scully. She's helping us. And hopefully we'll find something soon and we can leave this place."

"I hope we find something soon too because I am ready to leave. It's cold here on top of everything else," she said with an even more pronounced pout.

"Oh pouty, look at that lip. I'm gonna get it," Mulder laughed as he reached over and grabbed her lip playfully.

She swatted his hand away from her and started laughing.

"Will you stop? What are you trying to do?" she asked with a grin on her face.

"I was trying to make you laugh and mission accomplished," he smiled at her.

There was nothing like hearing Scully laugh. He lived for that sound. He didn't hear it often enough, but when he did, he relished it. He loved the way her nose would crinkle up and her eyes would sparkle. He wished he could hear her laugh forever. He knew she didn't particularly like this case and the sheriff had a big part in that. He didn't know why though. She certainly had no reason to be jealous. Sure, Liz was a beautiful woman, but she was no Scully. It didn't even enter his mind to think anything other than professional thoughts about her. But he kind of liked seeing how territorial Scully could be over him. It wasn't the first time. In fact, she always got a little huffy and weird when other women were involved in their cases. It was cute, he thought. Not that she ever had anything to worry about with any of them. Even if they liked him, the feeling was never mutual. He thought she should know that by now.

They pulled up at the pier and Scully noticed that it wasn't far from their motel. In fact, it was just a few blocks away. They got out of the car and headed over towards the sheriff. She was standing next to a police boat with big lights on the top of it and a sheriff's sticker on the side.

"What do you use this boat for?" Mulder asked her.

"We mostly use it in the summer months when people come to the beach and party a little too hard sometimes. I patrol the waters by the shore just to make sure everything is status quo. I don't usually need it in the winter."

They all climbed aboard and Mulder directed the sheriff where he wanted to go.

"Out by those rocks where the island is. I want to get as close as possible," he told her.

"You can't get too close because it's so rocky, but I'll do my best."

"Do you think it's possible to get close enough that I could jump off and explore the island?" he wondered.

"Explore the island? There's nothing there but some rocks," the sheriff pointed out.

"Yeah, but there could be cave like areas. A place for someone to hide."

"I can't get you that close, but there's an inflatable raft you could use if you really had your heart set on it," she told him.

"That will work."

The sheriff looked at him confusedly. Why was he so eager to get on that island? He would never find anything. She couldn't believe he was actually going to float over there in a raft. It made no sense.

"Feel like climbing some rocks, Scully?" Mulder asked her.

"Me? No, not really. I can just watch you from here," she told him.

"Aw, where's your sense of adventure. It'll be fun. Come on, you're coming with me." He was insistent.

Scully just looked at him and her pout threatened to come out again, but she held it back. I guess this was part of her job. Climbing rocks in the middle of the ocean to look for mermaids. If anyone had told her she'd be doing this ten years ago, she would have laughed in their faces. But times had changed.

They made it out to the island and from the boat you could see nothing but rocks and bits of grass and sand. Nothing interesting. They couldn't get very close, but Mulder undid the raft and tossed it into the water. She grabbed a life jacket and followed him down. The sea was really choppy and she just hoped they wouldn't make victims seven and eight with the drowning. They kept themselves anchored to the big boat with a rope and then pushed out towards the island.

"Mulder, this better be worth it. I'm not really wearing my rock climbing shoes."

"Neither am I, but you gotta trust me that there's something up there to find."

She was trying to trust him like she always did, but this idea wasn't his best one ever. And Mulder realized as they got closer that it wasn't his most brilliant idea ever either. The rocks were a lot steeper and slipperier than they looked from the boat.

"Think we can pull this off?" he asked her.

"I'm not sure how we're going to get up there without falling and killing ourselves."

If it was anyone else besides Mulder, she never would have gotten into that raft. But for him, she did crazy things. He brought it out in her. She put her faith in him and usually he was always right. But sometimes she questioned herself for following him so blindly into every little caper he cooked up.

They made it to the rocky shore and Mulder attempted to get out of the boat and grab a rock. He lost his footing and crashed down hard into a rock and ripped part of his shirt. But he didn't give up easily. He grabbed on another place and pulled himself out of the raft and onto the rocks. His feet were wet from the waves crashing over the rocks and he noticed his arm was bleeding, but he at least made it out of the boat. He helped Scully get out and she had an easier time at first. Her little feet perched on the rocks better than his did.

"So now what?" she asked him as they stood on the rock covered shore with the waves lapping at their feet.

"We try and climb up. It looks like a good spot over here to try." He motioned towards the left and she saw a less jagged area with more to hold onto and a sandy pathway leading upwards.

The sheriff watched them from her boat and just shook her head. They'd never make it to the top. It was impossible. She never should have suggested the raft in the first place. She just had no idea Mulder would accept that crazy offer. She watched as they slipped and slid back down several times in their effort to get to the top. She sighed and hoped that if they died she wouldn't be held responsible.

They were part way up the side of the hill when they finally found some decent rocks to grab onto. They were almost up to the top. They both wondered to themselves how the hell they'd get down again, but small victories. They wanted to concentrate on one thing at a time. And right now, they were almost in the clear. Mulder got to the top and stretched out his hands to help Scully up. He yanked her over the edge and they both went tumbling back towards the ground and landed in a heap in some grass. Scully lay on top of Mulder, breathing heavily and staring into his eyes. They both felt the stirrings of something deeper, but now was no time to get caught up in that. But Mulder had to admit that having her laying on top of him was a huge distraction. She gazed into his eyes.

"Mulder…" she started.

"Yes Scully?"

"Did I ever tell you this was the worst idea you've ever had?"

The moment was broken and she rolled off of him and tried to straighten herself up.

"Look at my clothes. This blouse was new."

"At least it's not ripped like my shirt."

"You owe me a new blouse and possibly a foot massage later," she grumbled under her breath.

They each stood up and looked around. There wasn't much to see except grass and sand and curiously enough, white wildflowers. Mulder bent down to examine a flower.

"Don't you think this is odd? Flowers in the winter," he said to her.

"Maybe it's a species that thrives in the cold?"

"I don't know. I just know the legend of the Siren tells of meadows of flowers being in their vicinity. They'd lay in the meadow and wait for someone to come along."

"Well I don't see any Sirens lying in this meadow."

"I bet we might if it were nighttime," he told her as he looked around.

"Mulder we are _not _climbing this again tonight. _You_ can, but _I'm_ not," she said insistently.

"I wasn't suggesting we climb at night. I just meant I don't think the Sirens come out in the daytime. They're nocturnal."

"Where are they hiding then? There aren't any caves up here like you suggested. And there's no old take out containers or bonfire pits to prove anyone has been up here. In fact, after that climb, I think it proves that no one would willingly swim to this island at all."

"I never said anyone went here willingly. They were in a trance from the song," he reminded her. "And I don't know where the Siren is hiding. Maybe she spends her days somewhere else? Like under the ocean. If it's a mermaid like creature, that's where I'd be during the day."

"How could someone with a fish tail climb these rocks?" she questioned him.

"They have legs too. They're only mermaids when they're in the water."

"How do you know that?"

"I read about it, Scully. And I'm certain this is the place. Unfortunately my brilliant plan to investigate it is turning up nothing. But I know I'm right," he told her seriously.

"Say you _are_ right. How do we capture this creature. What do we do? Kill it? Can you shoot it? Is there some legendary way of conquering such a thing?" she asked him with exasperated curiosity.

"The only thing I read is that if someone resists their song, they die. Or go away. I'm not sure which. But they aren't a problem anymore."

"How do we make this next guy resist her song?"

"I have no idea. But I'm guessing that shooting it would work just as well. After all in ancient mythology they didn't have guns so they could have forgotten to mention that would work too," he told her with a grin.

"I'm all for shooting it then. That is if we ever see it."

"Maybe tonight. I know we'll be on the boat but it has some pretty powerful lights. I hope we can find what we're looking for before she strikes again."

"I hope so too. Now can we get down off this island? I'm freezing and there's nothing here to see," she complained.

"Yeah, let's get down."

They had no idea how they would get down without falling. It was awfully steep. But they did their best. Scully lost her footing towards the end though and fell down hard into the water. She landed on her back and she felt a cut open up.

"Scully! Are you alright?" Mulder called down to her.

She worked hard to get herself up and out of the water and held her back.

"I'm okay. I think I cut my back."

She looked at her hand and noticed the blood. She definitely cut it. But otherwise she was unharmed and down to the raft. Mulder followed soon after and he slipped too in the same spot, but managed to hang on. They got back into the raft and Scully winced as she sat down.

"You're gonna have to let me look at that cut, Scully."

"It's fine, really. I'm sure I'll live. But I am freezing and wet so lets hurry up and get out of here."

They made their way back to the boat and the sheriff looked at them like they were crazy.

"Did you find anything?"

"No, but I think tonight we'll get lucky," Mulder told her.

And he hoped he was right. They needed to actually catch a glimpse of this creature if it existed. And then they needed to stop it. If they needed seven victims, Mulder was going to do everything in his power to make sure they didn't get their wish. He put his arms around Scully to warm her up as they rode back towards the shore. She was shivering and he felt bad that his stupid adventure got her hurt. But that made it all the more imperative that they see something tonight. Something to prove his crazy theory. Otherwise he feared Scully would never go on an adventure with him again.

To be continued...


	3. Chapter 3

They got back to the motel and they both went their separate ways to get showered and warmed up. But Mulder was still worried about the cut on her back. He didn't know how serious it might be. There was a good amount of blood soaked into her shirt. But as always, she insisted that she was fine. He just wanted to see for himself. So he knocked on her door and waited for her to answer. He hoped she was out of the shower. After a minute the door opened and he found Scully standing there wrapped in a bathrobe.

"I was just checking to see if you were okay," he told her.

"I'm fine. A little sore, but it's not a big deal."

"Can I come in? I wanna take a look at your back."

"It's really not necessary," she assured him, but she did motion for him to come in.

He walked through the door and she closed it behind him.

"I'm pretty sure the bleeding has stopped. I tried to get a look at it in the mirror but it was kind of hard," she explained to him.

"Lemme just take a quick peek alright?"

"I'm not wearing anything under my robe," she told him somewhat sheepishly. She couldn't just drop it to the floor and let him take a look.

"I've seen it all before, Scully," he told her with a small smile.

She was aware that he had seen her naked before when he rescued her from the alien spaceship tank, but she tried to put that out of her mind because it was embarrassing and there was nothing romantic about it. But if she just dropped her robe in a motel room it would be a different story. She couldn't even believe he was bringing that up.

"Well just because you've seen it before, doesn't mean I'm going to show you now. I'm not unconscious and barely alive this time."

"Get something to cover up with then. A towel. I just wanna make sure you're alright."

She sighed and went to the bathroom and grabbed a towel. She sat down on the bed and opened the robe, while holding the towel against her chest. She let the robe fall down to her waist. She waited as Mulder sat on the bed behind her and took a look. She felt his warm hands touching her cold skin and it gave her goose bumps. Mulder examined the cut and deemed that it wasn't too bad. It wasn't bleeding anymore but it still looked like it hurt.

"Do you have the first aid kit?" he wondered.

"It's in my bag."

He went over to her bag and rooted through there, trying not to pay attention to her underwear but he peeked a little. What can he say? He's a man. And he had a half naked Scully sitting on the bed behind him. His mind was a little preoccupied, even though he really was just being a concerned friend. He found the first aid kit and brought it over to the bed. He took out a large bandage and placed it over the cut, taping it down. He patted her on the back lightly.

"All better," he said softly.

"I told you it wasn't a big deal," she answered.

"I just worry about you sometimes when my crazy capers end up with you getting hurt. That's the worst part of the job."

"I don't like it when you get hurt either," she admitted softly.

"Well then the two of us need to be more careful I guess," he smiled as he ran his hands up her back and rested them on her shoulders. He wasn't eager for her to get dressed again. He liked feeling her skin against his hands.

"We do need to be more careful I guess," she told him as she pulled the robe back up over her shoulders and tied it tightly. The feel of his hands on her bare skin was making her a little dizzy and she had to break the connection.

He patted her on the shoulder and silently cursed the stupid bathrobe being there now. But what did he expect? That she'd just sit there naked all day for his pleasure? Maybe in his wildest fantasies.

She stood up from the bed and faced him.

"I should really get dressed. Are you hungry? I'm hungry. I wonder if they have a pizza place around here?" She was trying to diffuse the tension in the air. She could feel it. She knew Mulder was feeling things he shouldn't be feeling and so was she.

She grabbed her bag and headed into the bathroom with it.

"I'll be out in a minute," she called out to him.

He just laid back on the bed and sighed to himself. What had he gotten himself into with her? It was never supposed to be like this. He wasn't supposed to fall in love with her. He knew she deserved better than him. He was always dragging her off to places unknown, risking her life for him and his crazy ideas. She didn't want to do it anymore, but for some reason, she was still here. And he knew it was because of him. She couldn't leave him any more than he could willingly leave her. Even if it meant she put herself in danger for his causes. That's not the life he wanted to give her. He wanted to give her something better than that. Something more normal. Something that he wasn't sure he was capable of giving her. But he just couldn't let her go. It was a weakness that he was aware put her in danger. Everyone knew what Scully meant to him. It was never spoken out loud by anyone, but even a fool could see the love he had for her. And that was dangerous sometimes. He knew that's why she ended up getting stung by that bee. They were trying to get to him by taking away the one thing he held most dear. And it almost worked. Because without her, he'd be nothing. He'd give up. And that's just what they wanted him to do. But he would literally go to the ends of the earth for her. He couldn't help what he felt. Sometimes he wondered how or why she put up with him. And the only answer he could come up with was that he meant as much to her as she did to him. He just wished they could say it and not just have this unspoken cloud above them. He loved her. And he was almost certain she loved him too. It was the only explanation for why she was still with him.

Scully finally made it out of the bathroom fully dressed and was surprised to find Mulder just laying on her bed.

"Did you call for pizza?" she asked.

"Pizza? I was supposed to call for pizza?"

"Well I said I was hungry and wondered if they had pizza. I just assumed you'd look in the phone book."

"Oh. I just spaced out. Sorry. I can look now."

He grabbed the phone book and looked for a pizza place. There was one listed so he picked up the phone and called out. He put the order in and hung up the phone.

"They said twenty minutes," he told her.

"Good, I'm starved. All that climbing must have worked off some calories."

"Yeah, I'm sure it did," he said absently, still lost in his own thoughts. Then he asked her, "do you want to go home?"

"What?"

"Do you want to go home? I know you don't like this case and think it's a bunch of crazy talk about killer mermaids. So I was thinking that if you wanted to go, you could go back. I can finish up on my own."

"Mulder, I'm not going home. We're here to do a job and I want to find whoever the killer is too. I don't know if your theory holds any weight, but I'm still invested in this. Why would you ask me that?"

"I don't know. It's just I realize you aren't as enthusiastic about some of our cases and you've already gotten hurt once today. I thought maybe you'd had enough."

"I'm fine, Mulder. If I really wanted to leave or believed there was no case here, I'd tell you. But something is happening here and I want to know what it is just as much as you do," she reassured him. "Besides I'm not _that_ hurt. It's just a cut. No biggie. It's not like I'm in a hospital bed clinging to life this time."

"Don't remind me about those days," he said shaking his head. When she had cancer he thought he was going to die right along with her.

"I won't remind you. I'd rather not think of them myself actually. But the point is, I'm fine. Don't worry so much about me. I'm a big girl. I know what I'm doing."

"Alright, I won't worry. I just want you to be happy, that's all," he said sincerely.

"I'm perfectly content. Or at least I will be once the pizza arrives," she smiled at him.

She had no idea where any of this had come from. Apparently he'd been thinking too much while spaced out on her bed. She had no idea why he'd think she wanted to go home. Yes, she complained a little, but she always did that. And true, she hated the sheriff, but she could overlook that. She knew there was a case here and she wanted to solve it. Even if it wasn't a killer mermaid, it was _someone_ murdering these people. And she wouldn't rest until she knew who it was. Plus, she didn't want to leave Mulder alone here. Her jealous streak wanted to keep an eye on the sheriff. She couldn't help that. Sheriff Dunbar had called Mulder 'dreamy'. There was no way she was leaving the two of them alone here without her supervision. She didn't trust the sheriff.

"Do you really think my theory could be right, Scully?" Mulder asked her curiously.

"A killer mermaid?"

"Yeah."

"Honestly I'm not entirely sold on that, but I know you believe it. I just have to wait and see for myself before I can form any conclusion about it."

"It must be hard for you sometimes to follow me in my monster quests. Why do you do it?" he wondered softly.

"Why do I do it?"

That was a good question. The easiest answer would be that it was her job to go along with him. After all, they were partners. But more than that, she wanted to see his theories pan out. They were often crazy, but sometimes they were true. And she liked seeing his face light up when he proved to her that something insane was actually real. She finally answered him.

"I do it because I believe in you. And even if we don't always agree on the cases, you're usually right that _something_ is going on. You have good instincts. I trust you and your judgment." And the simple truth was, she just couldn't stay away from him. No matter what crazy quest he sent them on, she had no choice but to follow. It was not something she could put into words. She'd do anything for him.

"You have a lot of questions today, Mulder. Are you feeling alright?" she asked him curiously.

"I'm fine. I guess I just wonder these things sometimes and thought I'd ask." He just wanted to make sure he was right about her wanting to be with him. He couldn't bear the thought of her being dragged around against her wishes, just for him. He needed to hear that she believed in him.

She went over and sat on the bed next to him. She took his hand and held it in her own.

"I'm right where I want to be, Mulder. So stop worrying, okay?" she told him softly.

He just nodded and leaned over and put his head on her shoulder. He could smell the sweet scent of the shampoo she had used. He smiled to himself, then looked up at her. She was smiling too. He turned to face her and put his hand on her cheek. She reached up and touched it, holding it there. He looked into her eyes and saw so much swimming behind them. He wanted to read them correctly and not just see what he wanted to see. She wanted him, didn't she? He wasn't imagining it. He leaned in to kiss her and there was a knock at the door, stopping him in his tracks. So close, yet so far, yet again.

"I-I should get that. It's the pizza," she said awkwardly. The moment was ruined. Another kiss thwarted by some kind of intrusion.

Mulder just sat there with his face in his hands, silently cursing the pizza delivery guy. Why couldn't he have waited another few minutes? It was just his luck. But at least this time the kiss wasn't interrupted by something deadly to Scully. It was just pizza. And maybe he could get the moment back again? They better not get food poisoning or something else bad that would thwart his plans again. He needed to get that moment back.

Scully paid for the pizza and closed the door. She turned around and saw Mulder smile up at her.

"That pizza guy sure had sucky timing, didn't he?" he laughed slightly.

"Yeah that he did. But as long as the pizzas here, I'm ready to dig in," Scully said trying to regain her composure.

"Yep, let's dig in," Mulder sighed.

Pizza was the last thing on his mind, but she was hungry so they ate. It was so silent in the room and you could hear yourself chewing. It was driving Mulder crazy so he flipped on the TV just to have some noise in the room. The two of them had shared silence before. Lots of times. It was never awkward or uncomfortable though. It was always a pleasant silence. It was nice having someone you could sit with and not feel the need to always be talking. But something about this silence felt uncomfortable as hell for him. There was so much tension in the room, you could cut it with a knife. He had almost kissed her. Again. And she was going to let him. Again. But something stupid interrupted it. And once the moment is ruined, how do you get it back again? That's all he could think of. He didn't even pay attention to how many pieces of pizza he'd eaten because his mind was consumed with thoughts of getting the moment back and actually kissing her this time. Plus he was wondering what she was thinking. Was she upset the moment got ruined or was she relieved? He wanted to know, but couldn't come right out and ask her.

She was just trying to concentrate on the food. She was trying her hardest not to think about the kiss that was interrupted. She had wanted him to do it, but part of her was relieved he didn't. Because then she wouldn't know what to do with herself. It was something she'd wanted many times before, but how would things feel afterward? She just didn't know. I mean, they've kissed before. Mulder wasn't shy about planting one on her cheek or her forehead or even her lips. When she was sick, he kissed her all the time. It just wasn't a kiss like this one was about to be. And somehow that type of kiss would change everything between them. They could no longer pretend to be just friends. Platonic partners and nothing more. That's the way it was supposed to be. You weren't supposed to kiss your partner. But she really wanted to. On more than one occasion she had wanted to kiss him, but she never went through with it. The most she had done was kiss his forehead. She was trying to hold back. But she wasn't sure how much longer she could do it. Especially if he kept doing what he was doing, she'd never be able to resist him. Logic and reasoning aside, the reason she wouldn't be able to resist was because she didn't really want to. She had one weakness and that was him.

Finally he could stand the silence no more. "Was the pizza good?" he asked her.

"What? Oh the pizza. Yeah, it was good," she was startled out of her thoughts. "Did you like it?"

"I must have since I ate half the thing myself." The truth was he'd barely even tasted it. He just ate automatically.

"Well I'm full now. That really hit the spot." She pushed herself away from the table and got up.

"I'm done too." He got up from the table too and just stood there. In fact they both were just standing in the room looking like they had no idea what to do next.

"So it's almost dark. We'll be meeting the sheriff again soon," Scully said breaking the silence.

"Yeah, hopefully we'll see something."

It was silent yet again and Mulder couldn't stand it. He looked at her just staring at her feet across the room from him. He was just going to do it. So what if they both had pizza breath? He didn't care. He would just march right over to her and do it. Grab her and plant one right on her before she even knew what hit her. But for some reason, his feet wouldn't move. He just stood there. Why was he panicking? He knew she wanted him to do it. And if he was going to wait for another perfect moment, he could be waiting a long time. And he'd already waited six years. That was long enough.

"Mulder…" Scully said softly.

"Yeah?"

"Is it just me or is there weirdness between us?" They hadn't even kissed and already she could feel things changing.

"It's not just you. There's definite weirdness."

"Why is that?"

He moved towards her, finally getting his feet to move. He grabbed her hands and pulled her towards him. She looked up at him.

"I think it's weird because something was left hanging," he whispered softly.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

He put his arms around her and just hugged her, planting a kiss on top of her head. He was chickening out. He couldn't let himself do that. He pulled back and just stared into her eyes again. He saw her longing and it matched his own. He _had_ to do this. It was for both their sakes. He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. Just then, Scully's phone rang. Mulder started laughing incredulously.

"You've got to be kidding me," he muttered under his breath.

She just looked at him for a second and then she laughed too.

"I should get that," she told him softly.

"Please don't. Just let it ring."

"It could be important."

"It can wait."

He pulled her towards him again and pressed his lips to hers. He didn't care about the ringing phone. Nothing was going to stop him this time. He allowed himself to get lost in her kiss. It felt so good to finally be kissing those lips. She ran her fingers through his hair and pushed him towards her to deepen their kiss. She had to admit this was worth the wait. She didn't even hear the phone anymore and she wasn't sure if it stopped ringing or she just was so lost in the moment. Finally they both needed air and they pulled back from each other and just stared into each others eyes. This didn't feel weird at all. It felt natural. It felt like finally coming home after being gone for six years. Scully smiled up at him and he smiled back.

"Maybe you should check your phone now," he told her.

"Nah, it can wait," she said leaning up to kiss him again. It was so good the first time, she was ready for more. And so was he.

Finally they stopped and just looked at each other breathlessly. There were no words. There didn't have to be. Their eyes said it all. The only question on either of their minds was why did it take so long to do this?

"I guess I could check the phone now," she whispered softly.

"Yeah."

She held onto his hand and didn't want to let go as she walked over to where her phone sat. She finally released her grip on him and let his hand fall. She picked up her phone and looked at it.

"They didn't leave a message."

"See, it wasn't important after all."

"You were right."

"I'm always right," he grinned at her.

"I don't know about that one," she teased him. "Sometimes you're right."

He walked over to her and took her hand and kissed it. "I was right to kiss you, wasn't I?" He needed to know what she was feeling.

"Yeah, you were right about that," she admitted.

"It wasn't just me that wanted it?"

"Mulder, I attacked you with my lips. It should be fairly obvious it wasn't just you."

"Just making sure."

"Well you can be sure. I wanted it just as much as you did."

"And things don't feel weird now do they? Not like before?"

She shook her head. "No, it's not weird at all anymore."

"Good."

He leaned down and kissed her again and realized that he didn't really care about the case anymore. Why were they in Maine again? Suddenly a killer mermaid sounded ridiculous to him and all he wanted to do was stay in this motel room and keep kissing Scully. But he knew they had a job to do and it was starting to get dark. They needed to be back out on that boat. He just didn't really want this moment to end.

"Do you think we should head down to the pier now?" she finally asked him, in between kisses.

"I guess so. But I'm having a lot of fun here with you," he grinned at her.

"I know, but we've got work to do." She was trying to stay level headed.

"Work. Yes. Work. You know, we work a lot. Sometimes it'd be nice to just spend some time not working."

"I've tried to tell you that before but you're a total workaholic," she informed him.

"Well maybe I'll change my ways now," he smiled, kissing her on the top of her head. "I guess we should get going."

They straightened themselves up and tried to get refocused back onto the reason they were in that motel room in the first place. They weren't on a honeymoon, they were on assignment. And work had to come first. But both of them were going to be thinking about the time when they could be together again like this. That couldn't happen soon enough. But they got themselves together and headed back out to the pier in hopes of finding out some answers to their many questions.

To be continued…..


	4. Chapter 4

Mulder and Scully sat in the sheriff's boat, bobbing along the waves. They were parked as near to the island as they could get and were just sitting there waiting for something to appear. They'd been sitting there for over an hour at this point and nothing had happened.

"How long do you guys want to sit out here?" the sheriff asked them, stifling a yawn.

"As long as it takes," Mulder said, so sure that this would lead to something.

"That could be a long time," she sighed.

"Are we keeping you from some other business you have because we could always get another boat."

"No, I'm fine. I'm just not sure what you expect to find, Fox."

Scully just sat in silence not really paying attention to anything. She was staring at the island, but lost in her own thoughts. She was still thinking about what transpired at her motel room. She and Mulder had kissed. And they both had wanted it. What did this mean? Were they going to kiss all the time now? What if he wanted more? Were they going to do that? Did she want to take their relationship to that level? Maybe kissing was enough. Although the tingles in her body that she got from the kissing told her that it wasn't really going to be enough. But it was all so complicated. Her mind was racing. And she had a hard time concentrating on looking for this mermaid. The whole idea of it was ridiculous, she thought. And she was already freezing and ready to go back to her warm room and contemplate her future with Mulder.

"Have you seen anything yet?" Mulder asked Scully, breaking her out of her trance.

"Nope. I've been staring at the same spot for an hour and so far nothing."

He looked at the sheriff. "Do you have binoculars?"

She reached over to a compartment and opened it up and handed over the binoculars. "Here you go."

Mulder scanned the rocks and saw no movement. Maybe this whole idea was a bust? He wanted so badly to be right, but even if he was right, that didn't mean they could catch this thing in the act. Plus they might have realized they were being watched and that kept them away from the island.

"Mulder, we have no idea when this thing will strike next. We'd have to literally sit out here for days to catch a glimpse. That is if there's something to glimpse," Scully told him, trying to put some sense into him.

"I'm thinking maybe you're right. This was a stupid idea. She's not going to come out when she knows we're watching."

He hated admitting defeat, especially when he felt in his bones he was right about this case. But he couldn't argue that sitting on a boat waiting to see something was a stupid plan. Even if they did see something, what would he do? He couldn't do anything. Not unless he actually caught her in the act of drowning someone. If he glimpsed a person on the island he couldn't just shoot them because he would have no idea if they were the Siren or just some person. He had to catch them in the act. And there was just no way that was going to happen sitting in a sheriff's boat watching the island. He wished there was some other way. He wished he knew who would be next, and when. But right now he felt like his hands were tied. There was no way to prove his theory right.

"Should we pack it in then? Go back to the motel?" Scully asked him.

"Yeah, I guess so. We're not going to see anything here."

The sheriff turned the boat around and they headed back to shore.

They parted ways with the sheriff at the pier and went back to their motel.

"I'm sorry we didn't see anything," Scully told Mulder in the car.

"I know. It's just, I'm so sure that I'm right about this, there's just no real way to prove it. Not until someone else drowns. And that's what I'm trying to prevent from happening."

She could sense the immense frustration he was feeling and she tried to soothe it by putting her hand on his leg and rubbing it.

"Well find some way to catch this thing," she reassured him, not entirely sure she was right.

He took her hand and kissed it and smiled over at her. "Thanks for trying to make me feel better," he told her.

When they pulled up into the lot at the motel Scully wondered what would happen next. Would they go their separate ways or would he come back to her room again? She had no idea what to expect anymore. And there wasn't a whole lot of talking they could really do about the case at this point. Everything was pointing at a dead end. They got out of the car and Scully headed towards her room and looked over her shoulder to see if Mulder would follow her. He did. She figured he just wanted to pick up where they left off and part of her was thinking the same thing. But the more time she had to think about everything, the more unreal it all felt to her. She was nervous.

As she put her key in the lock she looked over her shoulder at him. "Did you want to come in for a little bit?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'd rather wallow in your room than mine," he said dejectedly.

She nodded her head and flipped on the light, while tossing the key onto the table. He came in behind her and just walked past her to the bed where he flopped down on his back and put his arms over his head.

"This bites, Scully," he told her with frustration. "I know I'm right, but I can't prove it. And that's where I always get stuck."

She went over and sat on the edge of the bed. She sighed. "If you are right, then you'll find some way to prove it. You don't give up easily."

"Maybe we should have stayed on the boat longer?"

"I don't think that would have helped."

"It's gonna happen again Scully and we won't be able to stop it."

"All we can do is try our best," she said putting her hand on his leg and patting it.

He looked up at her and smiled.

"Why don't you come lay here with me. Cheer me up a bit?"

She felt her heart flutter in her chest but she did as he asked. She kicked off her shoes and scooted up closer to him and laid her head down on the pillow next to him. She reached out and touched his face gently.

"Don't be too hard on yourself about this case. It's a tough one," she told him softly.

"I just want prevent another drowning, even if I'm not right," he told her. "But I'm pretty sure I _am_ right," he smirked at her.

"You always have to be right, don't you?" she laughed slightly.

"I don't always _have_ to be, but it sure feels good when I am. Especially the look on your face when I am," he laughed.

"You live to prove me wrong, don't you? You love it when my science goes out the window and I stand there with a gaping mouth while you say 'I told you so'. You get off on it."

He chuckled and shook his head. "I wouldn't go so far as to say I get off on it, but it does have a certain tingle to it." He put his arms around her and pulled her closer. "But other things give me that certain tingle too," he said suggestively.

"Oh brother," she rolled her eyes at him.

"What? Don't tell me you don't feel it too. I mean, we kissed today. Lots. There were tingles all over the place."

He leaned in to give her another kiss and she froze momentarily. She didn't know how to respond because it was all so new to her to have Mulder kissing her. She pulled back a little.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing. It's just…well, what's going to happen with us now?" she wondered.

"I don't know. The same thing that always happens with us, except now I can kiss you finally."

"Yeah, but I mean, how far do we take this, Mulder?"

"As far as you want to take it, I guess." He was confused. Earlier she seemed so happy and sure of what they were doing and now she was backing down and getting cold feet. He didn't understand.

"How far should we take it?" she asked him quietly.

He rolled over on his side and propped up his head with his hand and looked at her.

"There are no rules, Scully. This should just be natural. If you're having second thoughts about it…"

"I'm not," she reassured him quickly. "I'm really not. I'm just…nervous. Scared. This is a huge deal. We've been partners and friends for six years. And in those six years we've been through hell and back together. That brings people closer. You're my best friend in the whole world, Mulder. I just don't want anything to change that. I don't want to lose my friend. Or my partner. You know that the bureau can never know about this."

"I know that no one can know about this. Believe me. The FBI already hates me and they'd have a field day if they knew about this. But I kinda think everyone already suspects we're together anyway. There's probably some secret office pool going on about us somewhere," he laughed slightly. "But I don't want you to worry about losing your friend. You're not gonna lose anything. You're stuck with me. I love you. I've always been in love with you. I kinda thought you knew that."

She was momentarily stunned silent at his admission. It wasn't that she didn't know, it was just hearing him say it. He loved her. He actually said the words out loud.

"I-I guess I did know. Somewhere deep inside that you had love for me. I just didn't know it was that kind of love. I thought maybe you thought of me as another sister or just a best friend."

He shook his head. "It's always been more than that. I go crazy without you around. When you were gone and I didn't know if I'd get you back, I don't think I even slept a wink. I was a man possessed. And when you showed up at that hospital, well, let's just say I think security was about to throw my ass out because I was making such a scene about it."

"I didn't know."

"Well you were unconscious but I think I alerted everyone to what you meant to me on that day."

"Everyone except me," she told him softly.

"Well now you know. I love you. I'm hopelessly, madly, deeply in love with you, Dana Scully."

She reached out and touched his face. She just stared into his eyes and tried to keep tears from falling out of her own eyes. "I love you too," she whispered. "God help me, but I think I loved you the minute I laid eyes on Spooky Mulder in that basement the first day we met."

He laughed and kissed her. "Well now you're Mrs. Spooky."

"Kinda has a nice ring to it," she said with a grin.

He kissed her again and things started to get a little steamy, which made Scully panic again. She finally pulled away from him breathlessly and sat up on the bed.

"You okay?" he asked her.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. It's just…well it's getting really hot in here."

"I know and that's just the way I like it," he smirked at her.

"Maybe you should go back to your room now. It's getting late," she said, trying to compose herself. She wasn't sure she was ready to take this next step with him just yet. She was scared.

"You want me to go?" he asked confusedly.

"I-I just think that maybe for tonight, it's best. We've got plenty of time right? We waited six years to get this far. What's a little more time?"

"Are you still scared?"

"Maybe a little."

"You don't have to be scared. I won't bite," he assured her. "Unless you want me to," he added with a suggestive grin.

"Mulder stop."

"What? I'm just trying to lighten the mood."

"I'm just not ready, okay? I need time to process all of this," she told him firmly.

"Okay. I'm not trying to rush you. But you know how I feel about you."

"I know. And you know how I feel about you too. I just need some time."

He leaned over and kissed her shoulder. "Then you can have all the time you want. I'm not going anywhere."

He hated the thought that he was pressuring her into doing something she wasn't ready to do. But in his mind, they'd waited long enough. It was time to get this show on the road. But he understood that in the last several hours a lot had changed for them. There was no reason to rush it. Something this good was worth the wait. She just needed a little time to get her head together. They'd been Mulder and Scully the FBI agents for so long, the thought of being Mulder and Scully the lovers was a bit much to get used to. He understood. So he would honor her wishes and go back to his room. Not without frustration building in his pants though. He wanted her badly. And it was going to be hard to get up and leave.

"I'll be right next door if you change your mind, okay?" he told her as he got up from the bed.

"I know."

He gave her one last kiss and then he set off towards the door.

"Mulder?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

He smiled. "I love you too, Scully."

Then he opened the door and exited to go back to his room.

She stood there for a second and then she flopped back onto the bed clutching her chest. _What did I do? Why did I send him away?_ She thought to herself. She was just panicking. She hadn't had sex with anyone in a long time and having sex with Mulder was going to change everything. She wanted it to be perfect. She wanted to be perfect for him. And she wasn't even wearing matching underwear right now. She wanted to do it right if she was going to cave in and sleep with the man she'd been in love with for six years. But maybe she made a mistake? She didn't know.

The time passed and she finally got off the bed and decided maybe she should get ready to go to sleep. She wasn't tired though. It wasn't really that late like she claimed it to be when she scooted him out the door. She had a book she could read but she doubted her mind could focus on other peoples fake lives when her own life was in upheaval right now. She flipped on the TV hoping that might help. She went through the channels and found nothing on that interested her. Just some sports and news shows and reruns of I Love Lucy. It was no use. All she could think about was Mulder sitting next door. She wondered what he was doing. Was he going as crazy as she was? Probably so. She had left him in a bit of a state when he left. She was a tease. Then she thought about what that might lead him to do alone and suddenly she felt her face flush. He wouldn't do that, would he? Yeah, he probably would. Maybe she had been too hasty making him leave. Maybe she did want to go through with it after all. I mean, if they were going to be together, they would eventually have sex. Otherwise nothing much would be different except it would be more torturous for both of them. That was it. She was just going to go next door and see him. Even if nothing else happened, at least they could spend the rest of the night talking instead of going stir crazy in an empty motel room.

She grabbed her shoes and headed out the door. She was surprised to see Mulder's door open. She glanced in and called out his name.

"Mulder? Are you in there?"

She got no response. Maybe he went to get ice from the machine? She walked around the corner to where the ice machine was and didn't see him. She looked in the lot and the car was still there. She went back to his room and went inside.

"Mulder?" she called again.

The bathroom door was open so he wasn't in there. She found the TV on and a magazine sitting on the table along with a pile of sunflower seeds and their shells. His jacket was thrown over a chair and his shoes were laying in a heap beside the bed.

"Where did he go?" she muttered to herself. Something was weird here. He wouldn't just leave the room open and go someplace on foot without shoes or his jacket. He had to be around there somewhere.

Mulder walked along the pavement in his bare feet. The ground was cold but he didn't notice it much. He was following the singing. It was so loud in his ears that it almost deafened him. But he knew he had to keep walking. He was almost there. He could see the water now. She was waiting for him. Everything he ever wanted was waiting for him if he just got into that water. His head was filled with images of Scully. The song was making him believe that she was calling to him out on those rocks. She was all he could think of. She was going to give him everything and then his world would finally have some kind of meaning. She would give him everything he ever dreamed of and never thought he deserved. All he had to do was swim.

To be continued…..


	5. Chapter 5

_Letting off steam I float in a dream,  
I can't let go (can't let go)  
Follow my wishes, follow the fishes  
Down below (down below)  
I go swimming …_Peter Gabriel

Mulder had no rational thoughts in his mind as he trudged out towards the water. The song in his ears had taken over every piece of logic and reason he had. He had no physical control over his body or what he was doing. All he knew was that his future was out there in that ocean. He didn't know how or why, but he had to follow it. He had to follow the sound while his mind was entangled with thoughts of Scully. He saw them together, laughing and kissing. He saw a future with her by his side. Just the two of them. And then there was a baby between them. A family. It was everything he never even knew he wanted, yet he was about to get it. He just knew it. He could feel the pull dragging his feet along until he finally reached the edge of the water.

Scully looked around Mulder's room and knew something was very wrong. He just left. And her mind flashed to all the other cases she'd read about where the men just left their houses and didn't even bother to turn off the lights or their TV's. In this case, Mulder had left without his shoes even. She didn't want to believe it, but she feared Mulder was the 7th victim. The one they'd been wondering about and wanting to save. And here it was. Mulder was missing and Scully was pretty sure she had a good idea where to find him. She just hoped she wouldn't be too late. She ran back to her room and grabbed her gun and her things and she went back to Mulder's room to search for the car key's, praying he hadn't left them in his pants pocket. But she found them inside his jacket that was slung over the chair. She jumped in the car and started driving towards the pier.

All sorts of things went through her head as she drove. Why would Mulder follow the music? Wasn't he already happy? They'd just recently proclaimed their feelings for one another. And even though she stopped them from going further with their physical love, wasn't he feeling good and not alone? Why would he be susceptible to the Siren's song? At least she assumed that's what this was. She was buying into Mulder's crazy theory. But what else made sense at this point? Mulder would never just get up and go for a dip in the ocean in the freezing cold. But maybe she underestimated his loneliness? Maybe her rejection of his advances had affected him more than she realized? She just never thought he'd end up being lured by false promises of some sort of amazing future with a mermaid. But that appeared to be exactly what was going on.

She got to the pier and ran to the waters edge. The waves were lapping at her feet and she tried hard to see if she could find a figure out in the darkness swimming for the island. She called out his name.

"Mulder! Mulder!"

She noticed just then a fleeting glimpse of something white off in the distance. Was that Mulder's shirt? She called his name over and over and the figure didn't respond to her. She had to find a way out there.

Mulder swam and swam and he thought he heard someone shouting his name. It confused him. It tangled in with the sound of the song and it made him think it was coming from the rocky shore, beckoning him closer. It had sounded like Scully calling him. He tried to swim faster in order to reach her faster. And in his mind all he could think was, _'I'm coming, Scully. Don't worry, I'm coming'_.

Scully found the sheriff's boat and prayed she left the keys inside. There was no time to call her. But a quick search on board showed nothing. Even in a small town like this she supposed the sheriff wouldn't trust enough to leave the keys in the boat. She searched the other boats docked at the pier. She raced around until she found a small aluminum fishing boat with a small trolling motor on it. No keys required for that. She untied it swiftly and jumped inside. She pulled the cord to turn on the motor and it took several tries for it to work. It finally fired up and she set off towards the rocky island, praying she'd get there in time. She could still see the white of Mulder's shirt, bobbing up and down in the water. She called to him again.

"Mulder, stop! Come back!" she shouted to no avail.

The closer Mulder got to the shore of the island, the more confused he became. He had salt water in his eyes and he couldn't see very well, but he saw the shock of red hair and the beautiful alabaster skin seeming to glow in the moonlight.

"Scully…" he murmured as he tried to get closer to her. But the closer he got, the more he realized it wasn't Scully waiting for him on the rocks. The hair was too long and she wasn't wearing any clothes. He wiped his eyes as the waves crashed over him. He tried to get a good look at the woman on the rocks. The singing quieted in his mind as his senses came back to him slightly. Why was he in the water? And who was on the rocks? If it wasn't Scully, then who would it be? What was he doing out there? The woman came into view as the waves pushed him along towards the rocky shore. She held out her arms to him.

"Fox, come to me…" she beckoned with the sweetest voice he'd ever heard.

Part of him was drawn to keep going and the other part of him knew something was wrong and he needed to get out of the water. He was freezing. Just then he recognized the figure on the rocks. It was Sheriff Dunbar. Only her hair hung loosely around her shoulders and she was completely nude.

"Fox, you're almost here. Come to me. We can be together. Everything you ever wanted. Just a little closer," she murmured sweetly, filling his head with fog. He couldn't think straight.

"Liz?" he questioned with a confused stare.

"Shh, just come a little closer."

He tried to resist but the current was pushing him towards her. She reached out and grabbed his arm and yanked him halfway up on the rocks with her.

"Liz? _You're_ the Siren?"

"Just listen to my song, Fox. All is well. Nothing to worry about," she cooed at him.

But he wasn't being taken in by the song anymore. He could still hear it, but it was a distant echo in his mind. He was resisting her and trying all he could to get out of her grasp. She was stronger than human and it made it difficult for him to get her to let go of his arm.

Just then he heard someone call his name.

"Mulder!"

He tried to search the water for the source of the sound and saw a small aluminum boat glistening in the moonlight.

"Scully!" he yelled out.

"I'm coming for you. Just hold on!"

This angered Liz and she quickly grabbed hold of Mulder's shoulders and tried to plunge him underneath the water.

"No one resists the song!"

He was fighting her and sputtering and coughing and trying not to get water in his lungs.

"Liz stop! Please! You don't want to do this!" he tried pleading with her as his head bobbed up from the cold water.

"Shut up! You're mine. You were supposed to be mine!" She shoved him under again and Mulder saw nothing but black water all around him.

As Scully got closer she recognized the sheriff immediately. "I knew it!" she shouted to no one in particular. "I knew there was something not right with her!"

She drew her gun and pointed it at Liz. "Stop! Let him go or I'll shoot!"

"You can't have him. He belongs to me!" she shouted back as she tried to keep Mulder under the water, but he was struggling too hard. His head bobbed up again and he took a huge breath of air into his lungs.

Scully got closer to the rocky shore with the boat and still had her gun aimed at the sheriff. "Let him go. I'm warning you."

"He's mine," Liz hissed at Scully, as she tried to push Mulder down again.

"You're wrong. He's _mine_. And you need to get your hands off him or I'm gonna shoot your ass," Scully told her venomously.

With one swift move, Liz grabbed Mulder and shoved him under the water hard. Scully stood in the boat and shouted off another warning. "Let go of him!"

Liz made no attempts to let go so Scully fired off a shot. It hit Liz in the shoulder and she screamed out in the night, clutching her wound. Mulder sprung up from the water and began pushing himself away from the shore and trying to get to where Scully was in the boat but the current was too strong to make it easy. Liz stood up on the rocks and let out a shrill shriek that hurt Mulder and Scully's ears. Then she leapt into the water and disappeared. Scully searched the water with her flashlight and saw nothing. Mulder was worried she'd grab him from underneath the water so he tried to scramble to the boat as quickly as he could. Scully reached out and grabbed Mulder's shoulders and lifted him into the tiny boat. He lay there gasping for air.

"Did you kill her?" he asked breathlessly.

"I only got her in the shoulder. I don't know where she went."

Scully drove the boat around the island, shining her flashlight but saw no signs of Liz anywhere. She was just gone.

Mulder was shivering and shaking and Scully realized she had to get him out of there. "You're gonna be okay," she reassured him.

"I'm so cold."

"I know," she said, taking off her jacket and putting it over the top of him. She knew it didn't take long for hypothermia to set in and she had to get him back to the hotel and into a warm bath.

"I was right, Scully," he smiled up at her. "It was a Siren."

"It appears so." She hated to be wrong. "But I was right too. I told you there was something I didn't like about Sheriff Dunbar."

"Yeah, turns out she really did want me huh?"

"Not in the way I thought, but yeah. You were supposed to be number seven."

"I resisted though. I resisted the song. Maybe not at first, but in the end, I resisted. That means she won't come back."

"Maybe. Although I'd feel a whole lot better if I knew where she went. She's wounded so I don't imagine she could get very far."

They finally reached the shore and Mulder was so cold he couldn't stop shaking. His lips were tinged with blue and Scully contemplated taking him to the hospital.

"No, I don't need a hospital. Just a warm bath. I'll be okay. I hate hospitals," he had protested.

Against her better judgment, she relented and just took him back to the motel. She was a doctor. She could take care of him. They got to her room and Scully opened the door and ushered him in.

"Just wait right here. I'm gonna get the bath going," she told him as she walked into the bathroom and flipped on the light.

She ran the water and let the tub fill up. Mulder came in and stood behind her as he peeled off the layers of wet clothes that were stuck to his body. He was down to his boxer briefs when Scully looked and realized he was half naked.

"I-I should give you some privacy," she said awkwardly.

He laughed slightly. "I'm not shy, Scully.

He stripped off his underpants and climbed into the water while Scully turned her head. For some reason it felt wrong to look even if she knew he'd gladly show her and she wanted to see. But not like this.

"It's probably best you hid your blushing eyes, Scully. I was just in a freezing ocean. I wouldn't want you to think this is all I have to offer," he said with a smirk.

"What do you mean?"

"Shrinkage. Big time shrinkage. In fact I think my balls crawled back up inside my body to find warmth."

She started laughing and realized Mulder was going to be just fine. He was already acting like himself with the crude comments designed to make her blush. He was good at that.

"I hope everything returns to it's normal size and crawls out of hiding," she told him, shaking her head.

"It will. Thanks to you anyway. How'd you know to come find me?"

"I-I went to your room and you weren't there. You just left the place wide open. I knew something had to be wrong."

"Why'd you come over?"

"I decided that it was silly for us to sit in separate rooms when we could at least keep each other company."

"Did you change your mind about the other thing?" he wondered.

She took a moment to answer him. "I'm not sure. I just knew that I wanted to be with you. I was going stir crazy."

"Me too. I kept wondering what you were doing over here all alone."

"I wasn't doing anything really except pacing around and wishing I hadn't let you go to your room. Maybe none of this other stuff would have happened if I hadn't of sent you away?"

"It's alright Scully. At least we got to the bottom of the case. We solved it. Maybe it was for the best?"

"Maybe. I just wish you didn't get sucked out into the ocean. What if I was too late?" She hated to think about that.

"Yeah, but you weren't too late. You had my back. Just like always," he grinned at her. "I'm starting to feel better already, you know. But I could use something warm to drink. Can you make some tea or coffee?"

"Sure thing, Mulder," she smiled at him. She kissed him on the top of his head and made her way out of the bathroom.

She turned on the coffee pot and let the hot water heat up for their tea. While she was waiting she took Mulder's room key out of her pocket and went next door to get him some clothes to change into. She just grabbed his bag and figured he'd pick what he liked. She brought the bag back to her room and set it on the bed. Mulder came out of the bathroom wrapped in a robe and saw Scully getting their tea ready.

"How do you feel now?" she asked him.

"Much better. Still a little cold. Could you turn up the heat in here?"

"Yeah." She went to the dial and pushed the heater up for him. "I brought your bag so you could find clothes to wear. Something warm and dry at least."

"Thanks." He rooted through the bag and found a sweatshirt and a pair of pajama pants. He went back into the bathroom and changed into them, then he came back out and sat on the bed.

"Here's your tea." She handed it over to him.

"Scully?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I get under the covers? I'm still a little cold."

"Go ahead."

He got himself all snuggly in her bed as he sipped his tea and noticed Scully still fully dressed sitting over at the table.

"You know, you should get out of those damp clothes yourself," he told her.

She had been so focused on Mulder she hadn't paid attention to the fact that she was wet too. She nodded her head and grabbed her bag full of clothes. She wasn't sure what to change into at first. Mulder was dressed for bed. And it was about 1am at this point. She should just get ready for bed too. She sighed and pulled on her silky pajamas and put fresh dry socks on her frozen feet. She made her way out to the bedroom and put her stuff down.

"Don't you look cozy," Mulder smiled at her.

"So do you."

"I'm spending the night, Scully," he informed her. "I don't want to go back to my lonely cold bed alone."

She smiled at him. "I don't want you to go back to your cold, lonely bed either. Because that would just mean I'd be stuck here by myself in a cold lonely bed."

"Well then what are you waiting for?" he asked as he picked up the blanket and motioned for her to come crawl inside with him.

She walked over and snuggled herself under the covers. Mulder put his arms around her.

"Keep me warm," he whispered into her hair.

"Mmhhmm," she murmured back to him.

It felt so nice being snuggled up in his arms. So right and so perfect.

"Mulder?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you happy?"

"Well right at this very moment I'm quite content."

"I just meant are you really happy? Because the Sirens song lures men who are lonely and not happy with their lives. You said the song promises them happiness and everything they ever wanted. I-I'm just wondering why you followed it," she asked quietly.

"It tricked me. I didn't really know what I was doing. I'll admit that in the moments before I heard the song I was feeling really lonely. You had just shooed me out of your room. I didn't wanna go."

"I never meant to make you feel lonely." She felt badly about that.

"But weren't you lonely too? You said you were going crazy, and you are the one who came next door to seek me out."

"You're right, I was lonely. I missed you."

"I missed you too. And I guess that was just enough to make me susceptible. But the whole time I was going out there, I kept thinking of you. In my confused state, I thought it was you calling me," he admitted to her.

"You thought it was me?"

He nodded. "I thought you were calling me and we were gonna have this great life together. Better than I could have dreamed. That's why I followed the song. I wasn't going after the Siren. I didn't know that's who was calling me," he tried to explain.

"Well Mulder, I'd never make you swim in a freezing ocean just for me."

"I know that now."

She snuggled down closer to him and just closed her eyes, relishing the feel of his body next to her. They were generating some good body heat now and neither one of them felt cold.

"I can't wait to get home," Scully said softly.

"Really? Because I'm pretty happy right where I'm at."

"I didn't mean that, I just meant I'm glad this case is over. I just have no idea how we're gonna explain what happened in our report."

"Worry about the report later. For right now, just be in this moment, okay?" He kissed her softly. "Let's just enjoy this and worry about everything else later."

She nodded her head and curled up closer to him. She realized just then how tired she really was. She drifted off to sleep in Mulder's arms and dreamt of their future together now that everything had changed. It was a bright future. No more lonely nights for either of them. Just more of this. The snuggling and the warmth and the kisses and so much more. Mulder peeked down at the sleeping woman in his arms and noticed a smile on her face. That made him smile too. He kissed her forehead and let himself drift off into a blissful sleep too.

Epilogue:

Washington DC- One week later

Mulder and Scully sat in Skinner's office waiting for his reaction to their report about the killer mermaid in Maine. Although they had conveniently left out that little bit of information. The report read that the subject had hypnotic powers that lured her victims to their deaths, but made no mention about Sirens or mermaids. Sheriff Dunbar had disappeared and was presumed dead. The tiny town was reeling that the killer was their beloved sheriff. No one could believe it. Mulder didn't think she was dead though. He thought she just moved on to another spot. But he kept that bit of info out of the report too. Skinner looked up at them and rubbed his temples.

"You were hypnotized?" he asked Mulder.

Mulder nodded.

"How did that happen?"

"Sir, we're not really sure how she did it but it was apparent that all the victims were under some kind of hypnotic trance," Scully explained.

"And you say the suspects motive was unknown?"

"We're not really sure why she did it, no. But she wanted to claim some kind of ownership over the men," Mulder tried to explain.

"What else are you not telling me?" Skinner asked.

"Off the record, Sir?"

"Off the record."

"Well we believe that the killer was something called a Siren who lures men to their deaths with a song. I heard the song. And if not for Agent Scully saving me, I would have been victim number seven."

"A Siren?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Isn't that like a mermaid?"

Mulder nodded his head.

"Alright, I've heard enough. This report will do just fine. You two are dismissed." Skinner knew sometimes it was better not to ask questions. The hypnotic trance mumbo jumbo was weird enough, he didn't really need to hear the full story.

Mulder and Scully exited the office and looked at one another. "So do you believe in killer mermaids now, Scully?"

"I don't know what I believe. I believe in killer sheriff's who like to sit naked on a pile of rocks and drown people."

"Oh come on. You know she's a mermaid."

"I never saw a mermaid tail. I just saw a naked woman."

"She's a mermaid. I guarantee it."

"Well whatever she is, she appears to be gone. So I say yay us."

"You wanna get a drink to celebrate?"

"I was actually thinking about going home and crawling into bed."

"It's only 6pm," Mulder looked at his watch.

"I never said I planned to crawl in bed alone," she said with a raised eyebrow.

"Scully, are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?" he asked with mock surprise.

"I don't know. But if you want to find out you can come home with me."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes I'm sure."

They'd waited long enough. Scully wasn't scared anymore. She knew it was silly to be scared in the first place. She just didn't know what it would mean for them if they took things to another level. But so far all she could think about was sleeping in Mulder's arms just like that night in Maine. And she was pretty ready to see what he was hiding in those boxer briefs too. At least now that it wasn't shrunken from the ocean. She was ready for all of it. And by the look on his face, he was more than ready too.

"You lead the way," he smiled at her.

They walked out of the building together and headed towards their future. There was no reason they couldn't have it all. Happiness with each other and still remain partners. No one would have to know. It would be their little secret. And sometimes secrets like that were the best kind. Neither one of them would be lonely again.

The End


End file.
